New ‘Back to Work’ coalition from Cera will create thousands of digital healthcare jobs for unemployed and economically inactive
Britain’s 9.4 million ‘missing workers’[1],[2] could help to rebuild our struggling health and social care sectors, thanks to a new cross-industry coalition to tackle economic inactivity.
Cera, the UK’s largest healthtech company, is spearheading a drive to create jobs for thousands of economically inactive and unemployed working-age adults – arming them with vital tech and digital skills to build the digitally empowered healthcare workforce of the future.
Health and social care will need approximately 1 million new workers within the next 15 years to support a rapidly ageing population, with half a million new workers needed in social care alone.
To plug this gap, Cera is setting an ambitious target for 10% of new recruits to its almost 10,000-strong workforce over the coming 12 months to be people returning to the workforce after a period of economic inactivity.
The company already has a strong track record in recruiting, training and retaining candidates from diverse backgrounds. 25% of Cera recruits over the past quarter were previously unemployed, and more than 5% are living with a disability – twice the industry average.
Cera’s coalition will build on this success, bringing together leading organisations including Skills for Care, People Plus, Maximus, Beam and hundreds of local partners, as well as Government schemes including Restart and the Work and Health Programme (WHP). Together, the coalition will identify suitable candidates, and give them the practical and emotional support they need to get started in a new career in home healthcare.
As well as digital skills, Cera will arm these recruits with comprehensive support to make coming back to work easier – from mental health and wellbeing support, to menopause care, and help and resources for employees who care for children or elderly relatives. The tech firm will also create mobility schemes to help people travel for work, offering them subsidised driving lessons, car insurance, or cycling and eBike schemes.
Dr Ben Maruthappu, Founder & CEO of Cera, said: “Tackling economic inactivity and rebuilding our vital health & care system are two of the biggest challenges facing our government.
“This innovative coalition is a true sector first, marking a collective commitment to solving these challenges. Not only will we help thousands of economically inactive people into meaningful new careers; we will also equip them with vital tech and digital skills, building the digitally empowered healthcare workforce of the future, and supporting our health and care system at a time it needs it most.”
Oonagh Smyth, CEO of Skills for Care, said: “The 131,000 vacancies in social care on any given day are 131,000 opportunities for people to start fulfilling careers in the sector. Cera’s important and innovative work supports the ambitions of the Workforce Strategy for adult social care that we launched in July, so we’re delighted to partner with them to attract thousands of new recruits out of unemployment and into a career in home healthcare, boosting the economy and contributing to the future of this vital sector.”
[1] ONS Labour Force Survey: Economic inactivity rate (September 2024): https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/economicinactivity/timeseries/lf2s/lms
[1] ONS: Rising ill health and economic inactivity because of long-term sickness, UK (2023): https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/economicinactivity/articles/risingillhealthandeconomicinactivitybecauseoflongtermsicknessuk/2019to2023
